


what it is

by rosssaliie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Teens being teens, pure! fluff!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24667450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosssaliie/pseuds/rosssaliie
Summary: zuko is about to be crowned the fire lord. katara is supposed to be leaving for the north pole. but they're both still teenagers, and they can't resist each other anymore.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 86





	what it is

It looked as if the sky was on fire. The rising sun had just begun to peek up from behind the buildings in the palace courtyard. It was the morning of his coronation, and Zuko was already awake at the crack of dawn. He wasn’t exactly sure what had compelled him to wake up so early and watch the sun rise. But there he was, on the palace steps, dressed in his sleeping robes and with his hair down. He felt incredibly relaxed, considering what was on his schedule today, and had a small smile on his face. With a gentle sigh, he turned and went inside. Palace workers were awake and already preparing the entire place for the coronation. 

The ceremony wasn’t until this afternoon, so he had more than enough time to get ready. He snatched a hot towel from the washroom in his chambers, pressing it over his face. It soothed some of the irritation from the scar on his face. He could almost forget he ever had it. Zuko walked to his bedside table, picking up the headpiece his uncle had given him. He admired it for a second, before glancing back down to the table. Folded very neatly, and laying on the edge of the table, was a red Fire Nation necklace with gold emblems. He sat down on his raised bed, scooping the necklace into his hands. It had once been Katara’s, to stand in for her mother’s while the gang hid in Fire Nation territory. She no longer needed it after the war ended, but Zuko wanted to hold onto it. It was too beautiful to let go. And so was she. 

Right at that moment, a servant walked in. “Your Highness, breakfast is ready,” the man announced. He was bent over in a polite bow. 

Zuko stood. “Thank you,” he answered with a smile. “Would you please invite Katara to join me? She’s been staying with her family in the east wing. Oh,” he handed him the necklace, “And return this to her.” He waved as the man left and felt his chest tighten a bit. With a quick exhale, he moved to his closet. At the very least, he should look presentable for her arrival. 

It had been about a week since his agni kai with Azula. He was still recovering from the lightning she’d shot at him; he had a bandage over the scar that was left behind. Katara’s healing water could only do so much for him, they had learned. But he didn’t mind having a battle wound. He knew that, whenever he looked at it, he would remember the feeling of the sacrifice he was prepared to make. His muscles were still sore, and moving too fast had a tendency to put a strain on him. So he was careful as he pulled on a pair of pants and a simple vest. It was something familiar and… normal. He slipped his feet into some fancy looking slippers, and attempted to make his floppy hair look nice, before giving up and heading towards the dining room. 

The corridors throughout the palace were long, and when Ozai was in charge, they were usually kept dark. But Zuko made sure to have all the lanterns lit; he liked how the light reflected off the gold trim. The dining room was in the main building, across from the kitchens and a single right turn from the chamber hall. New paintings lined the walls on the way there, adding more color and life to the once-dull palace. The dining room itself was larger than it needed to be, with a long, narrow table placed in the center. The room was warm, with the scents of fresh baked foods wafting in from the kitchen. Fruit towers and tart trays were spread across the entire surface in front of Zuko. He took a seat at the head of the table, suddenly feeling incredibly out of place in his father’s chair. 

Gentle footsteps came down the hallway, and Katara glided in through the doorway. She had a pleasant look on her face, and was dressed as if she’d been up for hours. She had strands of her hair pinned back on either side of her face, with the rest of it down, except for one tiny, almost unnoticeable braid that started at the base of her ear. She wore her traditional Water Tribe dress, but this time there were more embroidery details along the edges. 

Zuko smiled softly. “Hi,” he breathed out. After a beat of silence and staring, he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh, please. Sit.” He stood up and pulled out the chair that was on his left. 

“Oh, thanks,” Katara replied, crossing into the room and to the seat she was being offered. “This is really nice of you, but you didn’t have to give me a fancy breakfast. You already thanked me for saving you _several_ times.” She chuckled and watched him, expecting that he would return to the chair he’d been in just a second ago. Instead, he sat directly next to her. “And giving my family a place to stay until your coronation was also unnecessary.”

“Didn’t feel like it to me.” He raised his plate and started piling on some food. “It would take you forever to get back to your village without Aang, and he has to stay for the ceremony anyway. Just seemed logical.” He watched as she did the same, and filled her cup with water from a pitcher. “Besides, this isn’t a thank you.” He filled his own cup, and set the pitcher back on the table. 

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh yeah? Then what is it?” She set her full plate down on the placemat. 

The prince took a sip of water. “Well it’s… it’s more of a check in, I suppose.” He ruffled his hair a bit, nervous. “I mean, after… After what happened with Azula, both of us almost dying-”

“The world almost being destroyed?” 

“Heh, yeah…” He chuckled slightly. “And after… I kissed you. I just wanted to know where your head was at?” He spoke slowly, pushing himself to say this to her. The kiss had been unexpected and impulsive, but very appropriate after they saved each other's lives. They hadn’t talked about it yet, either too busy or too crowded by others to feel comfortable. 

She blushed and lowered her head. “Right… that.” She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. “What’s there to talk about?” She plopped a berry in her mouth and chewed slowly. 

Zuko’s face dropped somewhat, and he was suddenly worried that she wouldn’t like what he was about to say. “Well… I wanted you to know that I- I meant it. I really like you, and I would hope that you feel the same… way.” He stopped abruptly, suddenly seeing Katara with several more berries in her mouth and wide eyes. “Are you okay?” He tried to hold back the laughter in his voice, covering his mouth with his hand. 

Katara, embarrassed, turned away and swallowed the fruit. She flushed, but faced Zuko once again. “Sorry. They’re really good, and… I’m a bit nervous. I don’t wanna mess up our friendship, because it took us a while to get to where we are. I never thought that,” she gestured between the two of them, “ _this_ would ever become an issue. I mean, did you?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“I think, at one point, it crossed my mind.”

“Really? When?” 

He took her hands in his and looked at them. Her hands were so thin and nimble, and soft - no cracks or signs of wear to be seen. His, on the other hand, were very tough, almost calloused from his years of fire bending. “Do you remember the crystal caves? Below Ba Sing Se?” She nodded for him to continue. “Before Azula said what she said, I… really thought that I could be good. And you offering to use your Spirit Oasis water on my scar… it made me think that maybe, I could be _with_ someone good.” His smile turned sad. “And then it got ruined.” 

It was Katara’s turn to cup Zuko’s hands in hers. She pressed them against his cheeks and held them there, cradling his face. “But it didn’t. You knew right from wrong, and you joined us when you were ready.” She ran her thumb over the scarring around his eye, gingerly remembering her offer to him. “Would you still want me to? Heal it, I mean,” she said, in a voice that was barely a whisper. 

Zuko shook his head. “No, not anymore. I know it’s part of who I am. I don’t want to forget who my father was. Because if I do, I’m afraid I’ll turn into him.” He pushed her hands away and glanced at the chair that was at the head of the table. Zuko could almost picture his father in it, sitting as regally as ever, watching his wife and children eat silently, as if in fear. 

“Hey,” Katara pulled his eyes back to her, “You know you’re not your father. You’ve more than proved that.” She could see that he was still lost in his memories. She knew how much he wanted to be different than those before him, but she couldn’t find the words to convince him that he was better. “I do feel the same way, you know,” she finally blurted out. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I couldn’t save you that night. Watching you teach Aang, and help Sokka save my father…” She watched as his eyes refocused on her face. “How could I not feel the same.” 

He leaned across the small space between them, and softly kissed her cheek. He went to pull back, but their faces remained mere inches from each other. “What do you want to do?” he asked, his voice raspier than he’d anticipated. 

A short laugh escaped Katara’s lips. “You’re asking me? Aren’t you Mr. Future Fire Lord?” She bit her lip and pushed some of her loose hair behind her ear. 

“I want it to be a mutual decision. Don’t you have to go back to the South Pole? And I’m supposed to start ruling the entire Fire Nation in only a few hours.” He was stopped by Katara tossing a berry into his mouth. “These things should matter,” he finished, chewing his fruit. 

She shrugged. “Maybe we don’t have to know right now. Like you said, you’re about to become the Fire Lord. And… I don’t know what I want to do.” She stood up, and pulled him with her. “Maybe we just see where our paths take us.” Katara motioned for him to wrap his arms around her waist, and she draped her hands on his shoulders. “And maybe we just… enjoy it for what it is.” She pushed herself up onto her toes, inching her face closer to his.

“Your Highness!” a voice exclaimed. 

Zuko looked towards the doorway, where the older servant from before was standing, bowed. He cleared his throat and let go of Katara. “Uh, yes? What is it?” He folded his hands behind him, trying to look somewhat appropriate. 

“Sir, your coronation is in one hour. The preparation team is waiting for you in your chambers.” The man stood up straight and, after noticing what little distance there was between the prince and his friend, raised his eyebrows.

“Ahem, of course. I’ll head there straight away.” He felt Katara elbow him in the side, and he quickly did the same to her, making her snicker. “Thank you.” 

The servant left, the sounds of his footsteps fading down the corridor. 

After a brief second, both teenagers started laughing uncontrollably. Katara was bent over, clutching her stomach, and Zuko braced himself against his seat. Eventually, they caught their breath, and managed to right themselves enough to push their chairs back in. 

“Okay, well, you better get going,” Katara finally said. “And I should wrangle Sokka out of bed, because there’s no way he woke up on time.” She twisted her hands awkwardly, waiting for Zuko to be the first to say goodbye.

He nodded, placing his hand on her back and walking her to the door. “I would expect nothing less from your brother.” They stopped underneath the door frame, both with their backs against the wood. “And I… have to go…” He made no move to leave. 

“I know.” She looked down at their feet, pressed up against each other. She bit the inside of her cheek, and wove her hands in with Zuko’s. 

With their hands still together, he lifted her chin up so that she could look at him. “My heart is telling me to kiss you, but my head is telling me to walk away.” The smirk on his face was almost devilish. 

She matched his smile with her own. “So? What’re you gonna do about it?”

Not a second later, they both leaned in for a soft, quiet kiss.


End file.
